Lemon Blueberry Pound Cake is a blueberry studded lemon flavored pound cake with a sweet and tart lemon glaze. It has a surprise layer on the bottom that makes it a great coffee cake as well.
Key Takeaways:
- Bursting with Flavor: This pound cake features a vibrant lemon flavor balanced by sweet, juicy blueberries and a tangy lemon glaze.
- Versatile Treat: With its streusel topping and surprise bottom layer, it doubles as a show-stopping dessert or a cozy coffee cake.
- Use Fresh or Frozen Berries: The recipe works beautifully with fresh-picked or frozen blueberries—just be sure to coat some in flour to prevent sinking.
- Strong Lemon Notes: The streusel topping includes lemon zest and extract for an extra citrus punch—omit zest for a milder flavor.
- Important Prep Step: Room temperature butter and eggs are crucial for a smooth, creamy batter—take them out the night before.
- Homemade Glaze Finish: A simple lemon juice and powdered sugar glaze adds a shiny, sweet-tart finish once the cake is fully cooled.
Overview
This Lemon Blueberry Pound Cake is the perfect fusion of sweet, tart, and buttery goodness—ideal for dessert or as a standout coffee cake. Packed with juicy blueberries and a bright lemon flavor throughout, the cake features a rich, tender crumb and a delightful surprise layer at the bottom, giving it a coffee cake twist. The crowning touch is a zesty lemon glaze that brings balance and brightness to every bite, while a lemony streusel topping adds texture and a burst of citrus. Inspired by an abundance of homegrown blueberries and a winning social media recipe contest, this cake stands out not only for its flavor but also for its versatility and beauty. Whether you’re baking to impress or simply to indulge, this pound cake is sure to become a favorite.
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My blueberry bushes are extra generous this year. Last year I had lots of berries, but they were tiny and more work to pick. This year the berries are much larger, still, work to pick, but I have more berries.
I created this recipe as the winning recipe for a contest I created on social media. It beat out a blueberry pie and blueberry cheesecake ice cream.
Make the Streusel topping:
This topping is simple and easy to make. Mix the flour and sugar. Add cold butter cut up into pieces and mix it in to make a crumbly mixture. The lemon in this streusel comes from lemon zest and either lemon oil or lemon extract. The streusel has a strong lemon flavor. If you like less lemon flavor, omit the lemon zest.
Make the Pound Cake
Step by Step Instructions:
Before you begin: The butter and eggs should be at room temperature. Take them out the night before to give them enough time to warm up.
1. Cream the butter: Beat the butter in the bowl of the stand mixer for 2 minutes until it is creamy.
2. Add the sugar to the butter and mix on medium for 2 minutes, scrape the bowl sides after 1 minute and again after 2 minutes.
3. It’s time to add the eggs. You need 5 whole eggs plus the yolks of 5 more eggs (discard the whites of the second five eggs) Mix the eggs with the vanilla. With the mixer on medium-low, slowly add the eggs to the butter and sugar. I add the eggs as 6-8 separate additions. Beat after each addition until the eggs are all incorporated. Scrape down the bowl sides after the eggs are combined, and mix for another 2 minutes on medium. Scrape down the bowl sides again.
4. Mix the salt into the flour. Add the flour 1/4 cup at a time and mix well between each addition. Scrape the bowl sides again after the flour is incorporated and mix on medium for two more minutes.
5. Add 1 Tbsp of flour to 1 cup of the blueberries and toss to mix. The flour coats the blueberries and keeps them from sinking to the bottom of the cake. When I unmold the cake, I like to see the blueberries, so I only coat half of the berries. Fold all of the blueberries (coated and uncoated) 2 cups total into the batter.
Bake and glaze the Cake:
Grease and flour a 12 cup Bundt pan or fluted pan. Pour the batter into the pan and top with the streusel topping—Bake at 350 degrees for 60 – 70 minutes. Check the cake at 60 minutes for doneness. A toothpick inserted in the center should come out clean, and the cake should spring back when gently compressed in the center.
When done, remove the cake from the oven and cool for 30 minutes before unmolding it onto a plate or cooling rack. Cool another 30 minutes before glazing with the lemon powdered sugar glaze. To make the glaze squeeze the juice of one lemon into a cup of powdered sugar and mix well. Adjust consistency with more juice or sugar to make a glaze that is thin enough to drizzle over the cake.
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FAQ:
Q: Can I use frozen blueberries instead of fresh ones?
A: Yes! Just make sure to toss them in a bit of flour before folding into the batter to prevent sinking.
Q: Can I skip the streusel topping?
A: You can, but it adds a delicious lemony crunch and texture that elevates the cake—especially if serving as a coffee cake.
Q: How do I store the cake?
A: Store at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 3 days, or refrigerate for up to a week. It also freezes well.
Q: What if I don’t have lemon extract or lemon oil?
A: You can substitute with additional lemon zest or just use fresh lemon juice in the glaze for flavor.
Q: Why do I need so many egg yolks?
A: The yolks add richness, moisture, and structure to the pound cake, making it dense yet tender.
Q: Can this be made in a loaf pan instead of a Bundt pan?
A: The recipe is best suited for a 12-cup Bundt pan due to the volume of batter. Loaf pans may overflow or require adjusting bake time.
Lemon Blueberry Pound Cake
Equipment
- This page contains Amazon affiliate links. If you click a link, I may earn a small commission from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you
- 12 cup bundt pan
Ingredients
Pound Cake
- 2 cup softened butter (455g)
- 3 1/2 cup sugar (700g)
- 6 eggs
- 6 egg yolks
- 1 tbsp vanilla
- 1 tsp lemon extract optional- gives cake more lemon flavor
- 1 tsp salt
- 3 1/2 cups all purpose flour (440g)
- 2 cups blueberries (340g)
- 1 Tbsp flour ( for coating the blueberries)
Lemon Struessel Topping
- ¾ cup all-purpose flour (90g)
- 1/3 cup sugar (65g)
- 5 tbsp softened butter (70g)
- 3-4 drops lemon oil or 1/4 tsp lemon extract.
- zest from one lemon
Lemon Glaze
- ½ lemon juiced, (1-2 tbsp)
- 1 cup powdered sugar (115g)
Instructions
Streusel Topping
- Add the sugar to the flour
- Cut the butter into small slices and mix into the sugar-flour mixture by hand or with a pastry blender.
- Add the lemon zest and lemon oil or lemon extract and mix in. Set streusel topping aside.
Blueberry Pound Cake
- preheat the oven to 350°F (176°C)
- grease and flour a 12 cup bundt pan.
- Beat the butter in the bowl of the stand mixer on medium until creamy about 1 minute.
- Add the sugar to the butter and beat on medium for 2 minutes, scrape the edges of the bowl after one minute and after 2 minutes
- Add the vanilla to the eggs (6 whole eggs and 6 egg yolks) and whisk to mix. Discard the whites from 6 of the eggs or save the whites to use in a different recipe.
- Add the eggs to the sugar-butter mixture 1/6th of the total at a time. Beat on low between each addition of the eggs until the eggs are well mixed in. Once all the eggs are mixed in, scrape edges of the bowl. Then on medium beat the batter for another 2 minutes and scrape the edges down again.
- Add the salt to the flour and mix together. Add the flour to the batter with the mixer on low. Add 1/4 of a cup at a time, beating between each addition until all the flour is mixed in. Scrape the sides of the bowl again and then beat a final 2 minutes on medium.
- Split the blueberries in half and add 1 tablespoon of flour to 1/2 of the berries. This keeps the berries from sinking to the bottom of the pan. Do not flour the other half and it will sink to the bottom of the pan during baking giving the cake lots of beautiful berries that will be visible when you unmold the baked cake.
- Add the batter to a greased and floured bundt pan
- Sprinkle the lemon streusel on top of the cake.
- Bake at 350°F for 60-70 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the deepest part comes out clean.
- Cool for 30 minutes on a wire rack and then invert onto a serving plate. Cool another 30 minutes before glazing.
Lemon Glaze
- Mix the fresh lemon juice and the powdered sugar together. Add more sugar or juice to achieve the right consistancy. Drizzle the glaze over the cake.
